Sound Of The Wind
by TokehGecko
Summary: A Naruto AU Fanfic; Naruto as one of Orochimaru's elite guards. Starts at the Retrieve Sasuke Arc. NaruxTayu
1. Prologue

Naruto Fanfiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Author's Note: ...

Title: Sound of the Wind

Short Summary: Naruto as Oto Shinobi.

Pairings: Naruto x Tayuya

Pre-Read by:

---

If god is in his heaven, all is right... If the leader is happy, the day will be bright.

Sound Village…

For some reason, the clouds dancing along the globe always seemed to gather above Otogakure. It's strange, really; wasn't there a Rain Village out there? At least it wasn't raining here, the clouds just made everything… grey. He had been living here for several years now, getting used to the customs and the people. Even though the weather was always gloom, the people around were nicer than he'd ever seen before.

Even the occasional drunkard he came across was nicer than the nicest person back where he had come from.

Orochimaru had taken him with him from Konohagakure to the Sound when he was young. He was rescued from hate and pulled into acceptance. All this was done by Orochimaru. He would serve the Snake-like man until he died, he had vowed. He trained and fought, gave it all he had to become stronger, faster and smarter.

Uzumaki Naruto was a Missing-nin from Konoha. All of Oto knew of this just like they knew he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Despite that, he was completely accepted and respected. Yes, he loved living in Otogakure.

"Orochimaru-sama."

At the moment, Orochimaru was hospitalized after having fought the Third Hokage in Konoha. The blonde disliked that the Otokage didn't allow for him to join the big Mission to destroy Leaf. He and Kimimaro had to stay in Oto. Kimimaro was ill and it wasn't sure yet when he would recover. He himself was to stay in Oto for reasons he never heard. But then, he didn't need to know everything, after all. His only orders were to check up on Juugo and make sure he stayed silent.

Such a boring job, really…

He was thirteen right now and already one of the strongest Shinobi in Sound. His Curse Seal was advanced. It seems his Chakra was special, Orochimaru had explained one day. Being a Jinchuuriki was special, but being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi was dangerous. Past sealings have proven that the Kyuubi could not be contained; it was therefore a big surprise that the Kyuubi was defeated in such a way. Because it was a fact that the Kyuubi's Chakra was too lethal; a Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi would die as soon as the sealing ritual started.

So, Naruto's Chakra was very special, so special that it protected him from the Kyuubi's Chakra… So special, that Juugo's Curse Seal in Naruto's system evolved!

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto had a Curse Seal Level 3. But it was a fact that Naruto… rarely used the Curse Seal. The blonde Jinchuuriki was enough of a powerhouse without it!

"Naruto-kun."

Kabuto had informed him that Orochimaru had a mission for him. So right now, he was kneeling in front of the heavily bandaged Orochimaru. The sight didn't make the snake-like man look any less dangerous, though. Kabuto had come with him and was currently standing behind Naruto.

"I am thinking about sending either you or Kimimaro out on a mission. What do you think?"

Naruto frowned at the seated leader of the Sound. "Me, of course. Kimimaro can't even move."

"Ah, but Kabuto says he can fix that." Orochimaru returned in amusement. "Although I find Kimimaro too valuable for Kabuto's mind games. It might very well end up in Kimimaro's death."

Naruto rose from his kneeling position and rolled his eyes at Kabuto. "Really, Kabuto-sensei… You're too evil."

The grey-haired young man simply shrugged. "Sending you for this mission would be more evil, if you ask me. Your opponents are Shinobi from Konoha."

The blonde's eyes changed color for a split second. "Konoha? That sounds interesting. I don't remember anyone from Konoha except that old man. What is this mission, Orochimaru-sama?" The Jinchuuriki asked as he turned from Kabuto to Orochimaru.

"Uchiha Sasuke is being escorted by the Oto no Yon; he's on his way here. But they've taken too long. It is the reason I am in this body right now. I think Leaf has sent some formidable Shinobi after them. I want you to look into it. Your mission is the retrieval of the Sound Guards and Uchiha Sasuke." The only reason Orochimaru wasn't interested in taking over Naruto's body was because it was impossible. The Kyuubi made it impossible.

"Heh. This mission sounds easy, as usual." Naruto popped his neck to one side. "You want to join in on the action, Kabuto-sensei?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Please. Don't overestimate Konoha Shinobi. Just you will already be far too much…"

"Actually, I think it is a good idea." Kabuto interjected. "For a different reason. If Konoha truly has sent Shinobi after the Sound Four, then it would be wise to assume some were defeated. I won't be joining Naruto-kun. I'll be looking for survivors. Naruto-kun doesn't know any Medical Jutsu, after all."

"Very well. Your mission will be to heal any wounded and retrieve them." Orochimaru ordered. "Now, go! I wish to see Uchiha Sasuke in my Village as soon as possible!"

---

They were enraged as they were rushing after them. The nerve of these Konoha Trashes!

Tayuya and Sakon were jumping after Konoha Shinobi Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba and Sai. The three had worked together to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke from them and had succeeded! Even with the difference, the big difference between skills of both sides of Shinobi, they still succeeded in snatching the barrel where Uchiha Sasuke was currently in from them!

They were still in Fire Territory so they had to be quick. Having faced two powerful Konoha Jounin before these pathetic Genin showed up took a lot out of them so they weren't at full strength.

"You bastards!!" In speed, Sakon was faster than her, so Tayuya watched as Sakon got enraged and rushed towards them faster. "Fucking shithead!"

She wanted to scream out more, but stopped on a tree branch as a hand had landed on her shoulder. "Tayuya."

"H-holy shit!" Tayuya gasped as she turned to see one of Orochimaru's most elite guards standing next to her. The only one on equal grounds with this guy was Kabuto. "N-Naruto?!"

The blonde chuckled shortly. "Yeah. I was sent by Orochimaru-sama. Apparently you guys are taking too long. What's going on?"

Tayuya took a deep breath to get over the shock that Orochimaru actually sent Uzumaki Naruto for this mission. Another deep breath allowed her to be able to speak normal again. "Konoha Jounin and Konoha Genin interrupted us. We managed to defeat the Jounin but it took a lot of Chakra, so…"

Naruto chuckled loudly. "You're serious? So after these Jounin you took care of, you're actually having trouble with Konoha GENIN?! Genin from weak-ass KONOHA?!"

"D-Don't laugh! They're smart bastards, those Genin! Two of them are actually Chuunin!" Tayuya countered, dignified.

"Oh, yeah. Two Konoha Chuunin really makes the mission a lot harder." The blonde sarcastically let out, before he turned serious. "Where are the others? I noticed Sakon and Ukon, but I can't sense Jiroubou or Kidoumaru."

Despite the fact that Naruto was younger than her, Tayuya knew she was dealing with a dangerous guy here. Rumors had it that he had already surpassed Kabuto, even! "We lost sight of them as we went. My guess is that they were defeated or out of Chakra. Jiroubou's probably defeated, otherwise he would have returned, since that fat bastard can eat Chakra."

The young Uzumaki nodded his head. "Come, let's take care of these Genin." He threw Tayuya a special Soldier Pill, designed by himself. He managed to seal a big amount of Chakra into Soldier Pills using Fuuinjutsu, making the Soldier Pills even more effective. Using these would make it seem as if you had slept for two days straight and felt fresher than ever. Of course, it lasted only for a day and the backlash was that you needed to rest for four days straight after.

Tayuya took a look at the pill and mulled over the thought of being bedridden for half a week… "Don't take it unless you really need it, Tayuya." Naruto smiled. "Let's go."

---

"Shit!! Fucking DOG!!" Sakon screamed as the explosion made him deaf and blind for several seconds. He didn't know if he was falling, flying or standing still, until he stood face to face with…

"N-Naruto…" He whispered in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your white ass, obviously." Came the deadpan reply. "Your opponent fell down, I grabbed you before you fell. We'll chase after those others as soon as you're ready." He paused for a second and threw Sakon two of his special Soldier Pills. "You are ready now, right?"

Sakon snorted and bagged the pills. "Of course I'm ready. It's time to kill some trash!!"

The trio ran as fast as they could, Naruto leading the way. "So, who is it we're facing. Anyone skilled?"

"A bastard who can use his Shadows to trap you and another who uses ink to create creatures that attack you." Sakon answered. "Both are actually pretty talented. But not talented enough not to kill." He chuckled. "They're slow, too, look!" The grey-haired Shinobi yelled as he spotted the remaining two Konoha Chuunin in the distance. "Let's rip them to pieces!!"

Naruto suddenly increased his speed dramatically and had already appeared in front of the two Konoha Chuunin. "End of the line." He said.

---

This was not what he expected. Another Shinobi added in the equation. This one was the same age as him, though. Could they take him? And where was Kiba? Was he defeated in such a short amount of time? Along with Akamaru? Were they killed?

Shikamaru gritted his teeth in frustration, but continued to stare at the boy in front of him. Judging from his stance, Shikamaru could tell that this guy was no push-over. He was barefoot, wore dark blue shorts and a very loose dark grey shirt that still showed his collarbone. Other than that, the boy wore no gloves or any other kinds of protection and there was nothing else special about him. If anything, he seemed ill prepared. But Shikamaru knew better…

"Shikamaru-san." Came Sai's voice suddenly. The black-haired boy was making a big Ink Wolf hold the barrel Sasuke was in, while his special Ink was also keeping the barrel on the creature's back. "This one's strong, be careful."

This unnerved the young Nara greatly. So far, this Sai was a silent person, the most controlled Shinobi in this Squad he was given. He knew Sai has also been Chuunin longer than him. Although Tsunade already gave him mixed signs that his Rank might very well be higher than Chuunin even. He had wondered at the time why he was the leader of the Squad and not Sai.

Now, with this warning the pale boy gave, Shikamaru was sure they were screwed. He turned his head as he heard two Shinobi land on a tree branch not too far away from them and identified them as Sakon and Tayuya, although he didn't know their names. 'So… with those two also here, I guess I really can count Kiba out… Damn it!'

"Yooo… you guys are in for it now!" Sakon let out with amusement in his voice. Tayuya, standing next to him, wore a grin on her face. An all-knowing grin. A grin that told Shikamaru enough.

'I see… So Sai's right. That guy IS strong. Stronger than those two… And those two were already stronger than us.' He glanced sideways at Sai. 'Although I'm not too sure about Sai.'

"Shikamaru-san. I will face the new Shinobi."

Shikamaru spotted authority in the other boy's voice. 'As I thought, he is higher ranked than I am. Damn it, if he could've dealt with that fat guy in the beginning I'm going to kill him if we survive this! Chouji, I hope you're alright.' He sighed and took a look at the barrel, before he faced away from Sakon and Tayuya and analyzed the new blonde Oto Shinobi in front of him. 'This guy looks familiar… But his attention is on us, not on the barrel. It seems right now, their mission is to deal with us, rather than to get that barrel back. If that's right, then…'

Shikamaru jumped away from everyone and ran in a random direction.

Sai watched as Naruto nodded to Sakon and Tayuya and heard the two jump after Shikamaru immediately after. "You… are Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hooo? You know me!" Naruto looked delighted. "Very surprising, Konoha Chuunin."

"Don't be mistaken; I am Konoha ANBU. You are a Konoha Nukenin, my mission is to retrieve you, since you are still valuable to Konohagakure." Sai sent out Killer Intent as he readied himself. "I will strike you down, Uzumaki Naruto."

"ANBU? And you're the same age as me! You must be skilled." Naruto nodded. "Very well, I accept your challenge! Come!"

Sai performed a handseal and scribbled on a scroll. A second later, three Ink Tigers jumped towards Naruto. Sai jumped backwards as the Tigers were blown away by a Wind Technique as soon as they got close to the blonde. 'Fuuton Bougyou? It seems automatic, he didn't perform any handseals.' A dozen Ink Tigers followed and approached Naruto from every corner, but all met the same fate. Sai hid himself from view as he continued gathering information about his opponent.

---

He approached the clearing slowly, but realized he had to be quick, since he could already sense someone coming in the distance. Judging from the Chakra Levels he was sensing, he needn't worry, though. Probably Konoha Medic-nin.

His eyes fell on the two broken forms on the ground. He actually knew the Shinobi Konoha had sent. "Strange… From what I remember, the Akimichi was weak. To think Jiroubou was subdued by him… Peculiar." He murmured as he crouched at Jiroubou's form and checked for a pulse. 'Barely alive, too. The Akimichi did very well against him, but…' Kabuto watched Chouji's form with interest as his hands were already healing Jiroubou. 'He's thin. An Akimichi is usually fat. I can sense no Chakra at all from him. Perhaps Orochimaru knows more about a thin Akimichi…'

Kabuto stopped healing Jiroubou and performed the seal for two Kage Bunshin, letting the two Shadow Clones carry the still unconscious Jiroubou. "Time to go." On his way to Jiroubou, he had already come across Kidoumaru and Hyuga Neji. Shadow Clones were already carrying both of them back to Otogakure as well.

'Yes, the Hyuga might be useful to us. From what I remember, Hyuga Neji held a grudge against his own Clan… Perhaps we can mold that grudge and make it against all of Konoha…' He and his Clones jumped from branch to branch. 'But we'll need to take care of that Cursed Seal of his first…'

---

Naruto sighed as all of Sai's attacks proved futile. 'Should I perform Gogyou Kaain on myself and show him the Jinchuuriki?' He wondered as Sai threw three Kunai with Explosive tags at him.

Sai's expression didn't change as the result he expected showed. The fire from the explosion surrounded Naruto.

"Very clever…" Came the blonde's voice in the aftermath. The smoke didn't allow Sai to see him. "You figured since my defense was Wind-Natured, you'd use Fire. But you assumed wrong in thinking that that was my only defense. Konoha ANBU, is this all you've got? Some Ink and some standard weapons?" The smoke cleared and Sai could see Naruto shaking his head at him. "ANBU are just getting weaker and weaker, huh?"

Sai didn't reply and prepared himself as Naruto performed a single handseal. "Here, catch. Fuuton, Renkuudan!!"

To the black-haired boy's slight surprise, Naruto didn't do anything. Instead, he sensed Chakra to his left and saw another Naruto blowing out a vicious Wind Blast towards him. Sai easily dodged the blast by jumping up into another tree. 'Kage Bunshin?'

"Ah, you're very collected! You don't let surprise and shock cloud your judgement! You carry experience! This might be interesting!!" Naruto laughed. "Let's get busy!!"

Summoning an Ink Bird, Sai jumped on it and flew into the air. From above, he could see the two Naruto's looking up at him. 'My attacks don't seem to work on him. Perhaps his defense proves useless against Taijutsu.' Performing a handseal, Sai whispered "Sumi Bunshin."

Dropping to the ground, the Ink Clone faced the two Narutos, but Sai figured the one with the defenses was the real one, so the Clone immediately rushed towards him. To Sai's expectations, the clone wasn't immediately dealt with with some kind of defense, but instead, its attempts at hitting Naruto were both dodged and blocked. 'I see. Taijutsu he can't defend automatically, then.'

He let his bird fly towards the two blondes as soon as his Ink Clone was defeated, jumped off the bird and dispelled the Shadow Clone at the same time his Bird smashed into Naruto's Wind Defense. Naruto grinned at the ANBU Member. "Alright, so it's one on one again. Here I come!"

Sai dashed backwards as Naruto rushed at him in speed he couldn't keep up with. Inevitably, Sai took a blow in the stomach and kick to the face and flew straight into a tree bark. Coughing out blood, he realized those blows were to be dodged from now on.

Sai rolled sideways as his opponent landed on his previous position, taking the entire tree Sai was leaning against to the ground.

Panting a little bit, Sai eyed Naruto warily. "So, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has allied himself with the Sound." Before Naruto could continue his assault, Sai suddenly bowed. "Seeing as it is impossible to defeat you, perhaps my other Mission will be accomplishable." He held out a scroll he grabbed out of his vest towards Naruto. "I work for someone other than the Hokage, in Konoha. Someone who wishes to end Konoha's ways as they are now. He requests a meeting with your leader, Orochimaru. This Scroll contains information he will surely want."

"Tcheh." The blonde snorted. "We do not wish to fight alongside any Konoha Shinobi. You guys are trash. You're weak, pathetic and deserve nothing but death. The fact that you now know I reside within Oto means I can not let you live."

"I will not speak of this, except to my own leader, who holds no connection with the majority of Konoha. He as I will keep your whereabouts secret." Sai calmly explained, not at all intimidated by Naruto's death threats.

"I know what to do." Naruto acted as if he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Sai's eyes widened as the trees around him all crumbled to the ground. The ground itself seemed to swallow him and Naruto up. 'What is happening? Genjutsu?'

"Konoha ANBU… I am known as Oto's Blood Scroll. I can do anything I want… Right now, you're coming with me to see Orochimaru-sama." The blonde fixed Sai with a glare. "Our surroundings are completely under my control. If I want you to fall into the abyss underneath us, you will. The only thing keeping you standing is me. Now…" His eyes moved to the right and Sai followed his gaze to the barrel Uchiha Sasuke was in, still on the back of his Ink Creature. "Take Uchiha Sasuke with you and follow me. Now." Naruto ordered the boy. "You should know you'll either become an Oto-nin now or… you will very surely die."

Sai nodded his head and watched Naruto create two Shadow Clones.

"Find Tayuya and Sakon and tell them to leave that Konoha Trash be. He's probably heading for Konoha and hoping for reinforcements. I've implemented a Speed Seal on both of you, so go now!" Naruto ordered his two Kage Bunshin.

---

"Nowhere to run now, fucking coward!" Tayuya bellowed as she and Sakon stood on a tree branch slightly above the one Shikamaru was standing on.

'Alright. I'm close to Konoha now. The explosion tags and smoke bombs will prove adequate for my escape into Leaf.' The Nara reasoned with himself. 'There's no way I can fight both of these right now. My only option is to retreat.'

Sakon was planning on jumping towards the Konoha Chuunin, but was stopped as Tayuya put her left arm in front of him, as she was standing to his right. "Wait, Sakon, I can sense Chakra coming closer. The little shit stalled for reinforcements!"

"What's your name, Chuunin?" Sakon asked as he gritted his teeth. "Someone like you needs to be searched for and maimed, after all."

Shikamaru snorted. "Right now you can't get close to me, unless you want to risk getting trapped by my Shadow Bind Technique."

"Don't overestimate yourself, shithead!" The red-haired Sound Shinobi responded immediately. "We can kill you easily! But as it is…" Tayuya motioned behind her with her head, allowing Shikamaru to see two Blondes standing on a tree branch behind Tayuya and Sakon.

'Crap… So that means Sai's a goner?' Shikamaru thought, recognizing the blondes and figuring one of them was a Shadow Clone. 'At least reinforcements are nearly here…'

"He's here, but I get the idea we're retreating." The grey-haired Sakon figured and sighed. "Even though he can probably deal with any reinforcements heading this way."

The two Narutos behind the two Sound Guards chuckled. "Boss says we go, we've got some additions to the squads."

Tayuya and Sakon nodded, turning away from Shikamaru. The dark-haired Chuunin looked confused as he was alone all of a sudden. A minute later, two Jounin and a Genin landed next to him; Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai and Rock Lee.

---

TIMESKIP – THREE YEARS

---

Konoha…

The Leaf Village had always been a peaceful place. Even after the attempt of both Suna and Oto, Konoha continued looking like it had not a care in the world.

Nara Shikamaru sighed as he was walking through the streets of Konoha, on his way to the Hokage, as a Messenger Bird has notified him the leader of Leaf requested his presence. He had become a Konoha Jounin and rarely failed his missions. Rarely, as in, he had only failed once…

He would never forget the mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke.

Akimichi Chouji, his best friend, was on the verge of dying after that mission. He thankfully survived. Inuzuka Kiba got away with minor injuries and was mostly left out of the mission. Hyuga Neji and Sai were missing, presumed dead. And lastly, it was now known that Uchiha Sasuke was a Sound Shinobi.

Lately, there seemed to be a lot going on and already he had information about an organization called Akatsuki stirring things up around the globe. This group contained Nine S-Ranked Criminals, all Missing-nin. Their goals were the Jinchuuriki, people who had Bijuu sealed in them.

Konoha did not have a Jinchuuriki, but their ally Sand, since a few months, did. So Tsunade would probably send a few Konoha Shinobi to Suna to help out.

Shikamaru didn't get it. Sunagakure didn't even control Sabaku no Gaara. The red-haired monster was still a loose canon, but Suna regarded the kid as their ultimate weapon. The Nara wondered who the female Hokage would send. If he thought about it, he would probably be going, along with Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Rock Lee and Aburame Shino, if all were an option at the moment.

Yes, those Shinobi were probably the more talented ones in Konoha. Or maybe… she would send an ANBU Squad or two. Those guys were all part of the more talented Shinobi in Konoha too, after all.

---

Suna…

The Kazekage was signing paper after paper as two Shinobi entered his office. Already sensing who they were, he held up one hand indicating for them to wait. Signing a few more papers, he finally finished one of the big stacks on his desk and turned to them with a sigh. "Temari, Kankurou, what is it?"

They both bowed and greeted. "Baki-sama."

"Otogakure's Shinobi have arrived at the gate."

Baki narrowed his eyes at them, and then looked at his desk. Konoha did not know that Sand was still on good terms with Oto. But with Suna as weak as it now is, and Akatsuki being after Gaara, Baki knew he had no choice but to request for both Oto and Konoha reinforcements. But it would probably be best if both forces did not see each other.

And that's when sudden explosions came from outside.

"Kazekage-sama!! Gaara's being attacked!!" A Suna Chuunin hollered as he ran into the office. Temari and Kankurou were already gone, out to aid their little, insane brother.

---

Oto…

"So, things are finally starting, huh?"

"Orochimaru's out with Sasuke and Kabuto. They never leave Oto, so something's definitely up."

A hand covered with black flame-like marks grabbed onto a chair and joined the four others at the table they were seated at. The young man had changed a lot, but he admitted he enjoyed life much more than he did before. Kabuto and Naruto had performed several experiments on his Hyuga Cursed Seal and it seemed that performing Juugo's Cursed Seal on him caused a permanent effect on Neji. His body was constantly in Curse Seal Level 1. With time, his body got used to it, and now it didn't take any Chakra from him at all. Also, the Hyuga Curse Seal was gone… "So, who's losing?" Neji grinned, looking at the other Shinobi playing cards.

"Suigetsu." Naruto chuckled shortly, dodging a sudden bottle of sake from his right.

"Calm down, Suigetsu." Came a heavy voice next to Naruto, who had caught the bottle.

"Whatever, man. Just give me my drink back, Juugo." Suigetsu mumbled, sending a glare at Naruto. "And I'm not losing!"

"According to statistics, I believe you are at the bottom, Water Boy."

Naruto chuckled, Juugo sent the black-haired boy who had just spoken up a warning glance, while Neji simply smiled. Sai never did know how to read a situation that well…

Suigetsu launched himself at Sai…

Yes, this was Naruto's squad; Suigetsu, Sai, Juugo and Hyuga Neji.

"So, what's our mission?" Suigetsu mumbled after he emptied the bottle of sake and stepped away from Sai, who was now on the ground and slightly wet. "I hope it's something amusing."

"We've been training for a long time; all that training was for this." Naruto started as he took a look at the cards in his hands, while also eyeing his opponents at the table. "We're dealing with Akatsuki. Supposedly, their next target is Sabaku no Gaara, in Sand. Kimimaro and his squad are probably already in Suna, so it's not our problem. We'll be leaving for Lightning Country; it seems that there are two Jinchuuriki there. Orochimaru-sama wants Akatsuki out of our way. In this, Konoha might be useful, so our orders are to let them take care of Akatsuki and NOT accidentally kill them." He ordered, earning a few chuckles from around him.

"Yeah… This will be fun." Suigetsu slurred. "Here, four of a kind!!"

"WHAT?!"

Even Sai looked slightly disturbed at Suigetsu's sudden good hand.

---

TBC


	2. Obstacles

Naruto Fanfiction

Disclaimer: Yoooo! If I owned Naruto, I would have let Naruto own Sasuke trillion times over! But I don't, so…

Author's Note: This will be a fic filled with character deaths, so be forewarned!

Title: Sound of the Wind (Hyuuhyuu)  
Pairings: NarutoxTayuya  
Chapter Title: 1. Obstacles

ProofReader: OneAznDragon

---

Flashes of light filled the dark sky, followed by the sounds of explosions in the distance. Dark eyes calculated everything that was necessary. Distance to the explosions, the level of the explosion, the Chakra that was used or wasn't used… everything.

He was a genius, even without his Bloodline Limit. Throughout the years he had served under Orochimaru, Sasuke had learned plenty. In Sound, trust no one, not even the Otokage. The Uchiha snorted at the title. Otokage wasn't even a real thing in the Shinobi World. The only Nations that really mattered were five great ones; Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning and Water. The titles were Hokage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage, Mizukage and Raikage. There was no such thing as Otokage.

But then, he didn't really care about what Orochimaru wanted people to call him. He had other matters to worry about. Like getting stronger, like finding out where the Akatsuki was, like finding useful allies and… like knowing who he didn't want to make an enemy.

There were several squads in Oto, but three really stood out. Of course, there was his squad, with Orochimaru as the leader, him, Kabuto and Karin as subordinates. Karin's ability was useful, but for most missions they were on, Karin would only prove to be a liability. So, usually, Orochimaru travelled with only Sasuke and Kabuto.

The other two squads were troublesome, in the young Uchiha's mind. There was Kimimaro's Squad and Naruto's Squad. He had thoughts of betraying Oto and killing Orochimaru. It was inevitable, he had realized. He wasn't planning on giving his body to Orochimaru. There was only one thing to do; Kill the Snake. But he would be in serious trouble after that, since Kimimaro and Naruto will most likely hunt him down and kill him. He needed to think things through…

Kimimaro's subordinates were Tayuya, Kidoumaru, Sakon, Ukon and Jiroubou. He wasn't worried about the five subordinates, except if they would all come at him at once. No, Kimimaro was the real problem. Ever since he had healed from his illness, Kimimaro was a very dangerous opponent. The man just didn't feel any pain and acted without hesitation or mistake. The fact that the Kaguya controlled his Curse Seal better than Sasuke did, said enough. Fighting Kimimaro is something he definitely wanted to avoid.

And then there's Uzumaki Naruto, Oto's Blood Scroll; Kessho Jikumono. His Squad was the most powerful in Oto. Sasuke nodded to himself as he admitted that Uzumaki's Squad would obliterate any other squad in Oto, including his own. Naruto's subordinates were all insanely strong, close to Kimimaro's level.

Sai was already a Konoha ANBU before he came to Oto, but now, with the Curse Seal inflicted upon him, the dark-haired boy was even more dangerous. His arsenal of Jutsu had become deadlier as his Ink Creations were more advanced, more resilient.

Hyuga Neji, without the Hyuga's Cursed Seal, but with Juugo's Curse Seal, was a Shinobi many avoided. Constantly being in Curse Seal Level 1 apparently did nothing to the Hyuga's body. Sasuke had to admit that he actually wanted to be there, would Neji actually find himself face to face with another Hyuga. He would enjoy seeing the despair on the other Hyuga's face, because there's no way another Hyuga can beat Neji. Neji was also second in command in Naruto's team.

Suigetsu was an uncontrollable freak. Even Orochimaru couldn't control the blue-haired young man, but Naruto had no problems subduing him, it seemed. His entire body could be changed into water at his will and the Curse Seal Juugo gave him made him unpredictably powerful.

That was another thing about Naruto's Squad. Everyone in that team, including Naruto, had received the Curse Seal from Juugo himself, not from Orochimaru. Sasuke believed he received the weaker version, actually.

Juugo is Naruto's final subordinate. His control of the Curse Seal was unrivalled. Before, Juugo would go on the occasional rampage, killing Shinobi left and right. That was until he met Kimimaro and Naruto. Juugo truly listened to the both of them as much as he listened to Orochimaru.

And then there was Naruto. Sasuke had sparred with the blonde a few times and knew the guy was no push-over. He had never won against him. He already knew that it wasn't Orochimaru who was the strongest in Oto. It wasn't Kabuto nor was it him. Uzumaki Naruto was the strongest in Oto. Sasuke knew he himself had also surpassed Orochimaru and probably came in second, behind Naruto.

He only sparred against Naruto, because Naruto was the only one who was stronger than him. Fighting him gave Sasuke a lot of information; Naruto had two styles. The blonde had his Jinchuuriki Style and his normal style. If you asked him, Sasuke would say that Naruto's normal fighting style was more dangerous than when he would use the Kyuubi…

When Naruto used the Kyuubi's Chakra, he was reckless, predictable, but at the same time, he was untouchable and most attacks just didn't work if he had the Skin of the Kyuubi activated. Even the Kusanagi proved worthless.

When he didn't use the Kyuubi, Naruto was unpredictable and completely in control. He wasn't called the Blood Scroll for nothing. He can summon things faster than you can blink your eye. He can do things many couldn't imagine. Next to that, Naruto also had a more advanced version of the Curse Seal than even Juugo himself. Yes, he had never fought Naruto seriously, but he was sure he never wanted to. He was pretty sure not even Itachi could beat Naruto…

The young Uchiha disliked how Naruto was completely loyal to Orochimaru, otherwise he would have wanted Naruto on his side for sure. Naruto's team, however, was more loyal to Naruto than they were to Orochimaru.

"You've allied yourself with Suna, right? Shouldn't we head in their direction?" The Sharingan wielder asked, his arms folded over one another as he stared at the flashes in the sky. "It looks like that insane monster has a few issues."

"Insane monster? Ah, you mean Sabaku no Gaara. Of course, you've fought him once, long ago." Kabuto responded, wondering at first why Sasuke would call Gaara insane and a monster.

"We won't interfere here. Kimimaro and his team should suffice for the moment." Orochimaru replied to Sasuke's question. "Their orders are minimum input as well."

Kabuto sat down on the ground after steadying his glasses. "It seems it is Deidara who is attacking the Shukaku Jinchuuriki, hm? I wonder if his accomplice is present as well."

The Snake of the Sannin chuckled. "He probably is, just not in the Village. But I'd prefer if he does not see you, Kabuto. You are one of his soldiers, after all." He chuckled again. "We'll leave you as… plan B, should it be necessary."

All of a sudden, a loud explosion came to their ears and they were blind for several seconds. Orochimaru snarled, turned his head to his subordinates and yelled out. "Hurry! That damn Deidara blew up Suna… completely!" The Snake Ninja was worried for Kimimaro and his team. They were valuable, after all.

---

"Urghh…" He coughed out blood and his vision was blurry, but he could see how Gaara was defeated in the air by the Akatsuki Member, after he had used a gigantic bomb on the entire Village. He should've seen it coming, but it was too late; He and his team were defeated by a single bomb, and the one who threw the bomb wasn't even paying attention to them! How utterly humiliating!

"K-Kimimaro?" Someone to his left rasped.

The Kaguya smiled, knowing Sakon would be the first to recover; he had a more insane healing factor than even him, after all. But Kimimaro was also getting there. Tayuya and Jiroubou were probably in worse shape. "Yeah, I'm alright." Kimimaro talked back as he crawled towards where Tayuya and Jiroubou were at. "But I think they need help."

"Amazing… Suna, destroyed in seconds." Came a whistle from above the two crawling Sound-nins. "I assume you require my assistance?"

Kimimaro and Sakon grinned as they spotted Kabuto towering over them. Around them, most Suna-nins were dead. The only reason the Sound Shinobi were still alive, was because they all released their Curse Seals to the maximum and could take more damage that way.

Minutes later, the Sound Five was completely healed again.

Orochimaru was taking a look at the surroundings and chuckled shortly. "Sunagakure is no more… Wind Country is defenseless and Konoha has a useless ally. Deidara's as reckless as I remember him to be."

"Orochimaru-sama, should we chase after them?" Kabuto asked.

He received a nod in return. "Yes, but you will return to Oto, Kabuto. From here on in, I assume Sasori will be involved as well. But, before you return… I think finishing the job here in Suna is also important. Any surviving Suna-nin should be killed off as well. I'm sure you'll be able to deal?"

Kabuto smirked. "Understood, Orochimaru-sama."

---

He couldn't believe it! He was defeated in mere seconds! His puppets were gone, destroyed as soon as he had summoned them. No one had ever done this to him; no one had ever humiliated him like this. On top of that, he was dying. The poison was already working its way through his body

He hoped other Sand-nin would also chase after Gaara and that Akatsuki Member and when he heard several footsteps approaching he knew he was saved.

Or not…

"Ah, what have we here?" Came an unknown voice. He managed to open his eyes and look up, to see six Shinobi standing there. Some of them wore the Oto Hitai-Ate. Oto? He knew that Baki made an Alliance with Oto again, behind Konoha's back. So, why did he feel so lost right now?

"A Sand Shinobi, obviously." This time, a girl spoke up. "The shithead looks pathetic. Poisoned too." She started chuckling. "Want me to put you out of your misery, weakling?"

"Tayuya." This voice held authorization, Kankurou heard. Looking up, he recognized him. Orochimaru! "We have no time to waste on some random Shinobi. Let's continue."

They started walking away from them and there was nothing Kankurou could do as they left him there to die. "My apologies, Suna-nin." Kimimaro whispered as he walked by Kankurou. "But your life is not important compared to our mission."

Kankurou would scream if he could…

---

"We have a bit of a situation."

Nagato sent his Chakra to his God Realm Body, the body Madara was currently speaking to. "What is it?"

"Deidara has captured the Shukaku Jinchuuriki, but he and Sasori are being chased by Oto Shinobi." Madara explained. "Orochimaru, Kaguya Kimimaro and Uchiha Sasuke are amongst them. Quite the troublesome Ninja."

God Realm's face stayed neutral. "What do you suggest?"

The sinister chuckle that came as a response would send chills down anyone's spine, except of course Pein's. "Perhaps we should greet them?"

Pein grinned as Nagato sent Chakra to all his other bodies… It took a few minutes before they were all up and ready and Madara smiled behind his orange mask as he saw all six bodies of Nagato, called Pein, intimidating as ever. "Let's go."

Seconds later, Pein and Madara appeared in front of the running group of Oto-nin. They all jumped back immediately and the looks on their faces was priceless, because they truly did appear out of thin air. "It's been a long time, Orochimaru."

"Pein…" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. He never knew much about Pein, only that all six of them together were called Pein. "I take it the ritual is about to start?" Orochimaru was an arrogant man by nature, but in front of this man, he was not. Pein was a very strong individual.

God Realm stepped forward. "Indeed… I suggest you flee, Orochimaru. Considering the situation, it would be best for both of us. We do not wish to waste time and Chakra on the likes of you and your pathetic pawns."

Sasuke wanted to use Shunshin no Jutsu, but was stopped by a single hand movement from Orochimaru. He gave the boy a look that said 'Don't try anything.'

"Pathetic pawns?" Tayuya repeated as she grabbed her flute. "I'll show you who's pathetic!!"

"Tayuya."

The red-haired young woman snarled at Kimimaro, but the look in his eyes ordered her to stand down. She obliged.

God Realm Pein's gaze hovered over the Shinobi around Orochimaru. "I take it that that's Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother." Pein's voice was robotic, they all noted just then. "He never speaks of you. But…" He held his hand out to the other Akatsuki Member standing to the side, an orange mask covering his face. "He does."

Sasuke shot a frown at the masked Shinobi, but that's all he did. He'd never seen the man before, after all.

"Leave now, or face certain death." Pein commanded and Orochimaru glared at him.

"We will retreat." Orochimaru said after almost a minute of glaring. "Right now, we can't win."

"What?" Sasuke spoke up. "They look weak."

"They are not weak, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru corrected. "We will retreat. NOW!"

The Uchiha snorted as they all turned and headed in the direction of Otogakure. He turned to the seven Akatsuki Members. "Where is Itachi?"

This time, the orange-masked man answered. "Itachi's on an errand. You should not concern yourself with him at the moment, Sasuke-kun. Right now, you should be running after your master, shouldn't you?"

Sasuke fixed the man with a glare. "He is not my master."

Pein and Madara vanished after that, leaving Sasuke alone. "Tcheh…"

---

"M-my… My god…"

Wasteland… There was a huge fight here… And apparently, the entirety of Suna fell victim to it. Sand Village was no more… Sakura gave the sobbing Temari a sympathetic look, but couldn't really offer anything else. She couldn't imagine how it felt to see your entire Village down to the ground.

"This… this is terrible." Kakashi whispered. "This won't do."

"Most likely… Tsunade will have to summon the other Kages for a meeting. I never expected Akatsuki to take things so far…" Shikamaru let out as he surveyed his surroundings. Buildings had crumbled down, already mostly covered by sand. Now that the Village was no more, the sandstorms raged freely throughout the area.

"What do we do now, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba, the remaining member of this team, asked. "Me and Akamaru can't smell anything because of all the sand."

Kakashi's look fell on Temari, who was on her knees, staring at the area where Sunagakure once was. "We will chase after the culprits, the Akatsuki. Gai's team has also been notified of the situation and is also on route to Su… to here. Our mission is still the same; save Sabaku no Gaara."

---

Orochimaru left his subordinates to their own devices and headed straight for Kabuto, who should be in his research lab at the moment. Perhaps Corpse Lab was a more appropriate title for it. Opening the door, he saw Kabuto finishing up on a summoning scroll, meant to summon corpses.

"Orochimaru-sama."

"I take it you've accomplished what I've asked of you?"

The glasses-wearing man nodded his head with a grin. "It was easy. Even the Kazekage was greatly weakened by Deidara's bomb. What about you, you've returned rather quickly. I've only been here for an hour…"

Kabuto's master sneered. "Pein happened. We would have all died had we not retreated."

"Pein…" Kabuto murmured. "He's that strong… How do you plan on dealing with him?"

"Naruto will deal with him. I'm guessing those two are about equal." Orochimaru replied. "Perhaps, that'll end up in my advantage."

The greyhead nodded, realizing what Orochimaru meant. Naruto had become far too strong, and with this, perhaps Pein and Naruto would just kill each other…

---

A soft sigh slightly penetrated through the mist hanging in front of the entrance of Orochimaru's cave. The blonde never did understand why the leader of Sound liked caves so much. In Oto, there were many mountains, and Orochimaru's living quarters were actually in all of them, since they were all connected to one another, in some way.

"Naruto."

The Jinchuuriki could easily see through the mist and saw Sasuke leaning against the entrance of the cave. "Sasuke. I take it it's true, your mission was a failure."

"Hn. Tayuya must have told you." The Uchiha answered, pushing himself off of the wall and approaching Naruto. "I have a new Technique I want you to review. I'll be at the training grounds."

Naruto answered with another sigh. "Well, that'll have to be tomorrow, Sasuke. I already promised Tayuya I'd train her a bit, after my business with Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-sensei is finished."

"Tcheh." Sasuke was displeased. Naruto was the only one who gave good opinions on Jutsu and he was the only he wasn't afraid of hurting too much. "Fine, I'll work on it some more. Tomorrow it'll be even stronger."

The former blonde Konoha-nin frowned. "Oh? Strong enough to penetrate my defenses this time?"

The Sharingan user grinned. "Yeah… This time you'll have to work, Naruto."

Naruto waved over his shoulder as he entered the cave, while Uchiha did the same as he walked into Oto.

Using Shunshin, Naruto appeared in front of Orochimaru. "Huh, Kabuto-sensei's not here?"

"Naruto-kun. I take it you came across Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru sat in a chair, looking over some papers. Naruto had already observed it contained information about an Akatsuki Member called Akasuna no Sasori. He had sharp eyes. "I'm sure he asked you to see his new Technique, Raiton, Kirin no Jutsu."

"Kirin?"

The Snake of the Sannin nodded his head as he stared at Naruto, dropping the papers in his hand on a nearby table. "I've witnessed the technique, it obliterates everything in the blink of an eye."

"Not a single Raiton Technique works on me." Naruto exclaimed calmly. "Sasuke should know this."

"But it's not you he truly wants to defeat, Naruto-kun. In fact, I believe he realizes you're probably someone he can never beat. Uchiha Itachi is another story." Orochimaru rose from his chair and grabbed a scroll from inside his dark cloak. "But onto more important matters. I will be leaving Oto with Kabuto to deal with Akasuna no Sasori. I know for a fact he'll be coming alone. Me and Kabuto will be enough to deal with him. In the meantime, I want you to prepare a new team. I want the two Jinchuuriki in Lightning, I'd prefer it if you didn't kill them."

"Hm, capturing is more complicated than killing, Orochimaru-sama."

"Indeed. Sending you out alone should be enough… but that's not the only mission you have." Orochimaru chuckled shortly, staring at the young talented man in front of him. "I want you to deal a massive blow to Kumo. One they will remember."

Naruto chuckled in return. "That'll be fun… Who's coming with me?"

"When we return from Sasori's assassination, you'll be taking Oto's finest with you; Kabuto, Kimimaro, Tayuya, Neji and Sai. Once in Kumo, you'll be working together to capture both Jinchuuriki, but… afterwards, you stay behind and leave a clear message in Kumo. I want you to destroy their entire pursuit party."

"Ah… Only the pursuit party?" Naruto smiled.

"Of course, if you think you can take out more… by all means."

Naruto nodded. "It's been a long while since I've had to use Gogyou Fuuin…"

Involuntarily, Orochimaru shivered a bit. Naruto was a monster without Kyuubi holding him back…

---

"You've called?"

"Akasuna no Sasori has left an hour ago. I want you two to follow after him… discretely. That puppeteer is keeping secrets and if his secrets are dangerous to our cause, I want you to take care of him." Pein ordered.

Itachi and Kisame glanced at each other, before nodding to the Akatsuki Leader. "Anything else we should know?" The tall shark-like man said.

"I know few things about the puppeteer, he guards his secrets well." Pein answered. "But it should be easy for you two to deal with him, if he does indeed turn out to be a traitor."

The two subordinates nodded their heads and faded out, seeing as Nagato arranged for them to meet through different means than face to face.

Once they got back in their bodies and blinked to adjust to their surroundings again, Kisame grinned at Itachi. "This'll be a fun mission."

---

Konoha…

"Sunagakure is no more…" The woman repeated the words spoken to her just a moment ago. "The Sand was big… yet you claim there was only rubble left? Who has that much power?" Kakashi sighed at the question. He felt slightly disappointed at himself for knowing almost nothing about the entire situation. Only he was reporting to the Hokage, the rest of the team sent to Suna weren't necessary, Tsunade had said.

"We haven't come across Akatsuki and there was no sight of Gaara either when we arrived. There are three possibilities; Gaara lost control and the Shukaku destroyed all of Suna, while Akatsuki defeated the One-Tail afterwards, or… Akatsuki destroyed both Suna and defeated Gaara in the process."

"But it's sure Gaara's been captured, then?" Tsunade asked.

"Again, I can't be too sure. So the third possibility is that either Akatsuki or Gaara destroyed Suna and Gaara managed to escape. We've also found a Sabaku no Kankurou just outside of Suna, killed by a new type of poison. The few Suna Shinobi that were away from Sand when all this happened will be referred to Konoha."

"Of course." Tsunade responded, since she was the one who arranged for that. "Poison, hm? What have you done to the body?"

"At the moment, Shinobi are investigating the body in Konoha's Research Facility, I believe Shizune is working on it." Kakashi informed. "You wish to create an antidote for this new poison?"

"Obviously." The female part of the Sannin nodded. "Because this could mean Akatsuki has a Poison Specialist in their midst."

---

TBC

Yo!

Next Chap will be full of excitement!!

Naruto infiltrates Kumo and faces off against the freaking entire country; here it is revealed why Naruto is truly the strongest in Oto…

Konoha sends out a tracking team to capture Uchiha Itachi, but they find more than they wanted! Way more…

It'll be fun to write this one!

Seeya…


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